


The Lightning Strike

by twinklingpaopufruit



Series: Supernatural AU Series [5]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angels, Cuddling, Getting Back Together, Hunters, Hurt and comfort, M/M, Supernatural AU - Freeform, Wing Grooming, Wings, Witches, casually bringing people back from the dead, dream walking, jun adopts a chicken, jun hates sitting still, slight angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:41:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28064865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twinklingpaopufruit/pseuds/twinklingpaopufruit
Summary: Wonwoo and Mingyu thought they had lost Jun and Minghao forever. Well, naturally and casually Jun decides to comes back from the dead and Wonwoo accidentally shoots him. Needless to say, they have a lot to work on.*you must read the other parts to understand this fic.
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Jeon Wonwoo/Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Kim Mingyu/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Series: Supernatural AU Series [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752166
Comments: 36
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter 1

~What if this storm ends?  
And leaves us nothing  
Except a memory  
A distant echo~

Junhui yawns, and the wheels slowly rotating around him quiver at the action. He stretches his wings and flutters them about.

He floats suspended in the air. Four wheels covered in unblinking eyes spin around the center of his grace. Junhui stands tall, and his four faces scan the dimension in boredom. Each face is the shape of a bird, bull, lion, and human. Unlike his wheels, his faces are fixed upon his body. His six wings are beginning to itch, and Junhui wonders if he can sneak away to stretch his wings properly.

"I hope I am not boring you, son."

Junhui turns his lion face to look at God, "I'm sorry, Father."

"No need to apologize," God chuckles. "Take a break."

Junhui lets his wings droop instead of constantly standing at attention. 

"You said you wanted to speak to me today," Junhui says. 

"I did. I am about to ask you to make a big sacrifice."

"Yes. Anything, Father."

"I need you to fall. Give up your grace."

Junhui wants to question his Father, but he knows that is not allowed. He also wants to say no. He's the last of his kind. So when he mutters a soft, "Of course, Father," God gives him a knowing look.

"You have concerns, my son."

"I don't—"

"It is fine. I am asking you to give up everything. You are allowed to ask."

Junhui has never been given permission to have doubts, so he asks the first question that a good soldier would ask, "I must protect you, that is why I was created. I'm the last of my kind. Who will protect you if I am gone?"

"I will be safe, Junhui. We've been hiding from all angels and all other creations for more than a millennia in this little pocket dimension. It will not be hard to find another."

"So, are you leaving us again?" Junhui asks sadly. 

Junhui clearly remembers his Father's decision. He had been standing guard beside Him in heaven when God had called His archangels for a meeting. God always cherished Michael, Gabriel, and Joshua the most. God had said they deserved to know. He told them He would not be returning and that He would take Junhui to a distant dimension. 

The archangels did not take the news lightly. After Lucifer's betrayal and the war, heaven already seemed so fragile. So many brothers and sisters had died. But God's decisions were always absolute. He had tried to fix humanity: sending them plagues, destroying cities, flooding the Earth. But humanity was not listening. God intended them and created them as such. Free Will: God's greatest gift. 

Junhui would never say this aloud, but he knew God felt shame from His creation. So he went with Him into hiding and protected Him all these years. 

"Yes," God answers. "And I cannot take you with me this time. I have bigger plans for you."

"Okay," Junhui consents hesitantly. 

"Junhui. You are allowed to ask deeper questions."

Junhui's animal faces bow their head in shame. His human face is the one to finally ask, "Why am I being asked to fall?"

"You have always been good at setting the wheels in motion," God says. He smiles as He looks upon Junhui's true form. 

Junhui's wheels spin faster, and he stands back into attention, spreading his wings far. 

"You have a mission for me on Earth," Junhui realizes.

"Yes. When you fall, you will be born just like a regular human. You will have no memories of your angel life. You will be completely and utterly human. You will be born and find your way to two young men, Jeon Wonwoo and Kim Mingyu. Befriend them."

"Why?"

"They are the start of all."

Junhui understands what his Father means. "And my grace? What will become of it?"

"I will let you decide. Go and survey the Earth. Choose a spot to let it rest. When you are born to the mortals, I will implant in them an idea so you may keep your name."

"Thank you, Father, for granting me this special mission."

"I will keep you safe, my boy, whatever danger lurks your way. I will keep you safe. Have your faith."

"Of course, Father."

  
  


Jun has never felt such excruciating pain as this. His body is burning, and his entire stomach is sliced wide open. The worst part is that his boyfriend, Wonwoo, and his dearest friend, Mingyu, are in shock below him. They can't do anything to stop it. 

Wonwoo is shouting his name, but Mingyu is trying to drag him out. It's for the best. The flames are already overtaking the dorm, and Jun is stuck to the ceiling, unable to move. It's too late for him. He wants them to be safe. He tries to scream to tell them to get out, but he can feel it. He didn't think people could feel when they are dying—the physical pain, yes—but not the actual soul-wrenching pain of your spirit tearing away from your body.

"Have your faith."

Are the last words he hears as everything fades into black. 

His body is in ashes on the floor, and it's a surreal experience to see his dead corpse. Jun looks around the room in confusion. Everything is burnt to a crisp. The walls are blackened, and all of his and Wonwoo's belongings are deformed. 

"It's time to go, child," a voice speaks.

Jun spins on his heel. He sees an elderly man with slicked-back hair. His forehead is high, and his nose is sharp, as he stands with his shoulders pulled back. He wears a clean-pressed tux and leans against a walking cane with a skull engraved at the top. 

"Who are you?" Jun asks.

"My true name is Aaemuot, but the humans have bestowed me with the name of Death. I've come to escort you."

"What?" Jun doesn't understand. 

"Come with me, and all of this confusion will finally clear itself." Death extends an open palm in greeting.

Jun hesitates to take it. He stares at the pale, thin hand. Is this how it is? He dies, and Death comes to escort him to the afterlife? To heaven? He's never been extremely religious, so to know that this is his end is slightly underwhelming.

A familiar meow rings across the room. His eyes track the ground for the noise. From beneath his scorched bed, an orange tabby cat appears. It curls and stretches before strutting to him in tiny hops. It rubs its fur along his legs.

"It can see me?" Jun asks Death.

Death drops his offered hand and closes it back on his walking stick. "Animals do have an affinity to sense spirits, but you know by now that is no ordinary cat."

Jun's attention returns to the feline. It's continuously weaving through his legs, rubbing against him. It's strange, but he can feel the cat's purr vibrate inside his very core. He eyes Death with hesitation, but the Ancient Being just observes him fondly.

Carefully, he bends down and touches the cat.

The entire room ruptures into a brilliant, blinding white light. His very essence pulls painfully tight. Memories dash behind his eyes like millions of film reels playing in every direction. He can see the creation of Earth; he sees Adam, the flood, the wars, so many wars, his fall, and the shoving of his grace into an orange cat.

Junhui reels back in shock as his grace finishes restitching a vessel for him. It's the same body he has been inhabiting for almost twenty years. He feels weird inhabiting a vessel with his grace squeezed inside; he tentatively presses his grace against the flesh just to get accustomed to it. 

"So, you remember now?" Death asks with composure, as if the entire scene had no meaning to him—and perhaps it hadn't—he's Death. 

Junhui stops pushing against his vessel. His face wrenches into a frown, knowing he has fulfilled his mission in guiding the Great Vessels toward the apocalypse. He faces Death and says, "Yes." 

Junhui can see the two witches fighting to keep the Black Grimoire from opening the Hellmouth. Their power combined is great but definitely dangerous. As the two witches shove their energy into the book, they fail to see how wisps of their energy are about to cause a near-catastrophic event with the universe itself. He reaches toward their energy with his angelic grace and wraps it protectively all over the country and parts of China to prevent them from blowing up the two countries.

When he sees the two witches destroy the book, he calls toward the older one. He can't help it anymore. He wants to know. Is Wonwoo okay? 

He stops speaking when he feels his brother's wings slide against his own. 

"Junhui," his brother speaks in a question.

Junhui knows. He can't keep hiding in shame and embarrassment. He lowers the shields around the country, and for the first time in nearly eleven years, Junhui steps onto Earth. 

The two witches and the three humans are still huddled together, unable to notice when Junhui appears.

He coughs and laughs awkwardly. "Ummm, hi?"

Wonwoo sees him first, and Junhui stops time for a fraction of a second—as much as his grace can—just to see the hopeful look across his eyes. It's so beautiful. It's Wonwoo. The only being in existence he had ever fallen in love with. Wonwoo's eyes are wide, and his mouth is slightly parted. It doesn't last very long because, in the next second, his expression turns dark.

There's a gun pointed at him, and two shots are fired.

Junhui snorts as the bullets impale his vessel's chest. They pinch and almost tickle. He blinks, and the bullets disintegrate inside him. 

"What did you two release from the Hellmouth?!" Wonwoo shouts behind him. He shoots again.

Junhui makes sure the bullet vanish before it hits him again. 

"We...we closed it!" The older witch stammers. 

Before he can explain, he sees grief burrow in between Mingyu's brows and relief fall from his open mouth.

"Minghao!" Mingyu yells. He starts running past Junhui.

Wonwoo yells Mingyu's name, but the hunter throws all caution to the wind. Mingyu throws his arms around his angel. Mingyu releases a wretched, broken sob into Minghao's neck. He watches his brother smile and wraps his arms around Mingyu's back just as strong. 

"Mingyu! Get back here! They could be revenants."

"Not a revenant," Junhui awkwardly says. "I don't do the whole weird glitchy thing they do." He bares his teeth and pulls his hands to make grabby motions with his hands to mimic the glitch thing... it's not a very good impression if everyone's shocked faces say anything.

Junhui looks over his shoulder. His brother and Mingyu are still locked in an embrace. He hoped to have a similar reunion with Wonwoo but knows that Wonwoo has erected too many walls in his eleven-year absence. He also knows that some will never come down. Wonwoo has seen too much.

Junhui awkwardly lowers his hands back to his sides and walks over to the eldest hunter. He's watched over them for years to know that he has become a leader of sorts. So he offers the insides of his wrist to the human. 

"Go on. Do your silly little tests."

Seungcheol glances over at Wonwoo in fear and then back at Junhui. Steadily, he reaches for a silver knife tucked inside his boot and presses the blade against his wrist. Junhui arranges his molecules to allow the blade to draw blood. The silver has no effect on him. The hunter then grabs for a flask of holy water inside his leather jacket. He drops it on his wrist as well. 

When there is no reaction from that, he spins and looks back at Wonwoo, smiling in what he hopes is reassurance. 

"Hi, Wonwoo." 

Wonwoo wheezes like he's been punched. He takes several quick gasps, drops his gun, and presses his hands against his head. 

"I don't understand," Wonwoo cries out. 

Junhui steps forward with small little hops, "I'm an angel."

Minghao and Mingyu finally break apart, but Minghao's hand is still tightly wound against Mingyu's. Mingyu is still crying, and there is snot running down his nose. Mingyu can't bear the separation, so he wraps one arm around his chest and burrows his face in the angel's shoulder. Minghao smiles at Mingyu for a moment and then says, "He's not just any angel. He's an Ophanim. He's the strongest angel in all of heaven."

Wonwoo looks at Minghao in confusion and then back at Junhui, even more perplexed.

Junhui opens his eyes wide, "I can prove it!"

He snaps his fingers and flies them all to the front steps of Vernon's home. Mingyu lurches and stumbles over to the nearest wall and leans against it.

Minghao softly whispers with a fond smile, "Still don't like flying?"

The others are twisting their head in every direction—except Wonwoo. He's staring straight at him, and Junhui can't read him.

"I think," Vernon speaks up. "We should head inside and have the conversation in there."

Junhui waits for Wonwoo's reaction. There's a minute nod, and Junhui calls that a win.

They shuffle inside. He sees Vernon and Seungkwan limping. They're drained of their magical energy. It will take weeks for them to build their strength up. Before he can think about it, he steps forward and presses two fingers to both their foreheads. They freeze and look at him in confusion. Junhui navigates their magical energy with his grace, he can't mess with the natural energy of the universe, but he can banish the pain. 

The witches gasp in shock and stand straight up when they realize what he's done. 

"Thanks," Vernon says awkwardly. Seungkwan thanks him too with more assurance. 

Junhui smiles.

They lead him into the living room. Junhui has never seen inside this home. He can't look past the warding; he's tried. So he very quickly takes a once over. 

He sees Minghao and Mingyu still attached at the hand. They go over to the couch and sit. Junhui doesn't know what to do, so he mimics them unconsciously. He sits beside Minghao.

Seungcheol takes post at the wall, and Vernon and Seungkwan lean against a desk. Wonwoo remains standing in the middle of the living room. His mud-covered boots are dirtying the purple rug. Junhui blinks and cleans the boots. No one notices except Minghao and maybe the older witch.

"So?" Mingyu asks. "How are you alive? How is Minghao alive?"

Junhui awkwardly bangs his knuckles together. "Do you want the simple answer?"

"Full story," Mingyu replies. Wonwoo says nothing.

Junhui nods and recounts everything. "I'm an Ophanim. I'm God's Wheel. His throne. God had tasked me with falling to earth and befriending you two. It was fated for me to die and for Seungcheol to find you to send you on your path as hunters."

Mingyu snorts in shock, "And you knew?"

"I didn't know I was an angel until my grace was restored." He looks over at Wonwoo. "It was in the cat." He waits for recognition to appear behind Wonwoo's eyes before continuing, "Death came for me and took me to heaven. I was told I couldn't interfere in the workings of the apocalypse. So I stayed home."

"What about after?" It's Wonwoo's first question.

"Ah," Junhui rubs the back of his neck. "I didn't actually notice the time." 

"It's been eleven years," Mingyu speaks indignantly. 

Minghao places a gentle hand on Mingyu's thigh and speaks for him, "Eleven years is not even the blink of an eye for us, Mingyu. Especially for him. He's one of the oldest angels."

"So, you forgot?" It's Wonwoo's second question.

Junhui presses his teeth together and sucks in a breath, "Kinda." He doesn't have any excuse. The truth is, eleven years really isn't a long time. He had meant to return, but then there were duties in heaven that took longer than he expected, and when the ten-year mark came, and he looked down to Earth to catch up on watching Wonwoo, he realized Wonwoo had aged. Humans looked at time so much differently than he did. That epiphany brought shame. He's never felt shame as an angel. He has never felt anything as an angel until he returned to heaven with his grace restored. Junhui is pretty sure his speck of time as a human has changed his grace in ways he can't even begin to understand. 

"Then, why are you back?" It's Wonwoo's third question.

He looks over at Minghao. "I had to bring Minghao back. He wasn't supposed to die."

"Do Ophanim have the ability to bring angels back from the dead?" Seungcheol asks from where he's leaning against the wall. "Joshua is an archangel, right? He even told us he couldn't bring him back."

"I kinda cheated death. Well, I didn't cheat Death. We're best friends."

"You're best friends with the Death?" Seungkwan interrupts. "Hmmm...that could prove useful."

Vernon's voice picks up next. "So we're talking about Death Death, right? Man in a cloak with a scythe?" 

Jun laughs and speaks quickly, "He hasn't carried a scythe in ages. He likes a walking cane, and between us, I think he gets upset with the scythe image humans ran off with. He doesn't walk around in a robe either; sometimes, his reapers do. It depends on the reaper; they can be eccentric. But they're really funny, and they know all the best food places all over Earth—at least that's what Death says. I've never had food. Oh yeah, so the whole image comes because one of the humans spotted Death's workers. It was probably Jackson; he's very popular and very fun! So whatever human saw him probably ran with that image, and it became a hit, so you're version of Death is just one of Death's little helpers."

"Jun," Wonwoo interrupts his thoughts.

Junhui snaps his head back at him. He hasn't heard his name shortened like that in a long time—oh, maybe eleven years is a long time.

"Right," Junhui tries to get back on track. "See, I heard when Minghao called upon our brothers and sisters to help him break the sigil that Soonyoung had set. None of the angels are powerful enough to break something like that. Except me. So I poured a little of my grace to help set him free, and I kinda took a little nibble of his grace in return."

"A nibble?" Mingyu asks, aghast.

"More like a bite. A big bite. My lion teeth went argh into his grace," He mimes biting with his teeth. Everyone is looking at him like he's crazy. "So yeah. I stole some of his grace since I knew that Soonyoung had bargained with Seungkwan to kill him. I don't know why, but I kept Minghao's grace inside me while the rest of his grace burnt out and went to the Empty—a place where angels and demons go when we die. No one noticed I had taken his grace—except Joshua, I think."

"So then what?" Mingyu asks.

Minghao sighs, clearly getting tired with the explanation, and speaks to speed it up, "The grace he had stolen wasn't anything substantial. It was barely a fragment of me. But he used it like a magnet and slowly dragged me out of the Empty, fragment by fragment, until he rebuilt me."

Mingyu looks over at Junhui with wide eyes. "Thank you."

Junhui laughs awkwardly at the praise. His eyes track Vernon as he stands and goes around to fiercely hug Minghao. His brother returns it. Seungcheol shoves into the hug without any permission, and then Mingyu complains how his hand is trapped between them. "It wasn't that hard," Junhui says when they break the group hug. "It only took seventeen months. Seventeen is a very important number."

Seungkwan stands straighter, his curiosity piqued. "Why seventeen?"

"Junhui," Minghao warns.

Junhui doesn't listen and rebels. He realizes as he speaks, it feels good to defy orders, "That number holds us together across every universe. In every dimension, all thirteen of us are tied together. It's destiny—or rather God who always puts us together."

Seungcheol steps closer, "Thirteen? Who are the others?"

"Junhui," Minghao says again.

Junhui is the only one other than God who knows of the alternate dimensions. Minghao knows now by extension from living inside him for seventeen months and absorbing that ancient knowledge. It's dangerous territory, and he's revealed too much, "Not important," He backtracks. "So, yeah! I came back to bring Minghao back...and to see you," He tries.

Apparently, three questions are all Wonwoo can muster because he turns on his heel and retreats into the house. 

Junhui is left on the couch with everyone's eyes on him. 

"Well uh," Seungcheol tries to break the sudden tension. "Mingyu, I think we should take Minghao to Jeonghan just in case. To make sure he's all there, you know."

Minghao looks offended by Seungcheol's response and makes it known, "Why wouldn't I be all here?" It's the first time, Junhui sees genuine annoyance from his brother. It's fascinating. It's almost like real human emotion. 

"C'mon Hao, I don't mean it like that. We just gotta make sure you're good," Seungcheol tries to placate by raising his voice cutely in pitch. "You can come too, Mingyu."

"As if I'm ever leaving him out of my sight!" Mingyu stands, pulling the angel to his feet. He looks like he's about to cry again. 

"Are we driving?" Minghao asks, following after Mingyu—hands still locked together. 

"Well, we're definitely not flying!" 

Their voices fade off, and then Junhui is left alone with the witches. 

He realizes no one has hugged him. Oh. 

"So an Ophanim?" Seungkwan asks, stepping closer to him. The witch is smiling but looking at him curiously.

"Yeah."

"We should thank you for helping us out there," Vernon replies. "You were the ones who made sure that the demons who did escape didn't get us, right? Minghao used to exorcise low-level demons for us."

Junhui crosses his arms in front of his chest, unable to stop grinning. The two can't see his six wings, but he does flare them out in show. "And stopped you from nuking Korea and China."

"What?" Seungkwan asks with a slight disbelieving laugh. 

"You two almost blew up the countries with your magic, didn't you know?"

Seungkwan hums, "I guess I really am the most powerful witch."

Vernon laughs, "Absolutely, but what does that make me?"

"Second best."

Junhui sees Seungkwan reach out and hold Vernon's hand. 

"C'mon," Seungkwan says more softly, "I'm tired."

The two leave the living room and down the hall to their room. Junhui is acutely aware of being left alone. A sudden rush of thoughts flood his mind. Everyone seems to trust him enough to leave him here, but they don't want anything to do with him at the same time. What if Wonwoo never forgives him? What if everything he had with him was just a distant memory—not even a nanosecond in the life he's lived. He shuts his eyes and shakes his wings. Those are just human emotions; he won't be weighed down or trapped by them. 

He knows that Minghao and the others are going to visit the psychic. He's watched the interesting human a few times enough to know where he lives. Maybe he'll pay him a visit. He flaps his wings and teleports to Seoul—plus, he knows Seokmin is stationed there too. It will be fun to meet the Cupid again. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is very very cheesy.

A nameless tune plays over the car stereo, blending indistinguishably with the heaving engine of Seungcheol's old Toyota. The black car drives across the unlit road underneath the darkened and cloudy night sky. 

Beneath Mingyu's thighs, the car's motor shakes. He sits in the center console of the backseat, holding Minghao's hand. The angel's thumb softly strokes across the back of it while he looks out the window. The entire sky is black, but it seems that Minghao is radiating light. It's breathtaking, and it makes Mingyu feel he's stumbled into an alternate universe. 

His thoughts and emotions jumble without rhyme or reason. Seventeen months and all he can think of right now is that he wants to lean over and kiss him. If Seungcheol weren't driving, he would. 

Minghao seems to read his soul, and he turns away from the window to watch him. His large round eyes stare intensely into his. His other hand runs over Mingyu's cheek, and the untouched side suddenly feels numb without any attention. 

"Minghao?" He asks. He realizes it's the first time he's genuinely addressed him. He's been too busy clinging to the angel to comprehend that Minghao is back and is holding him.  _ Oh god. _ He's holding him. If Minghao doesn't do  _ something _ , he's going to break down and cry again. 

Their gazes meet, and Minghao softly smiles. The hand on his face caresses down his jaw, travels to his neck, and rests at the center of his chest. Minghao splays his long fingers across his burgundy flannel. The touch is soft and searching. 

He can feel the warmness of his fingers. He had forgotten how warm Minghao's skin could be. 

Minghao's hands then move up his shoulders and arms, and if Minghao doesn't stop  _ that _ , Mingyu will cry. 

He is still so in love with him, but he's never said it aloud. He needs to say it. Mingyu doesn't even need Minghao to say it back; all he longs for is his whispered name from Minghao's lips. 

Mingyu sits there, shaking as Minghao's hands continue to roam over his clothes. Distantly, he feels silly. Minghao was the one who had died. He should be the one running his hands over him to make sure that he's here and he's alive, and he's back, and he's not leaving. He can't breathe. Is it possible to choke by the mere proximity of the angel he had never stopped loving? 

His fingers are filled with tremors as he brings them up to cup Minghao's face, searching for oxygen. Minghao's eyes shut, and he breathes life and certainty into him. "Mingyu," he whispers.

A relieved sigh falls away, and he leans forward to drop his head to Minghao's shoulder. A hand comes to run fingers through his hair. Mingyu sleeps soundly.

Mingyu wakes up when the engine sputters to a halt, and the sun is rising in the east. His tight neck feels uncomfortably crunchy as he sits up. There's a brush of warm fingers to the back of his neck, and the tension plops back into youthful flexibility. Mingyu gasps and snaps his head. Briefly, he's shocked to see Minghao beside him. Minghao smiles and carefully says, "Your neck feels so old. You need to take better care of yourself."

"I do! I didn't expect to be kneeled over for the entire car ride," Mingyu spills quickly, slipping them back into familiarity.

"That sounds nicer than driving for five hours," Seungcheol announces as he climbs out of his car. His knees crack excruciatingly loud. 

Mingyu jumps out as well, feeling suddenly guilty. Seungcheol has gone an entire day without any sleep. He can't believe it's only been a few hours since they tried to close the gates of hell; it feels so much longer. 

Mingyu mutters a soft, "Sorry, hyung."

Seungcheol shoots him a grin. The older hunter looks over at Minghao. "I'm starting to feel like this drive was for nothing."

Minghao stands beside Mingyu, and without any prompting, links their fingers again. "You were concerned that I could be a threat. You are taking the necessary precautions. It's very admirable."

Seungcheol smiles bashfully, "You get to at least see Jeonghan. He will be pleased that you're back, and…"

Minghao suddenly pulls Mingyu toward Jeonghan's building and tilts his head, scrutinizing the apartments. 

"Minghao?" Seungcheol asks, jogging a bit to catch up to him.

Minghao goes through the building's main entrance and then stops as he sees Jun standing in the center of the lobby.

Mingyu's hand squeezes around Minghao's. In his one-track mind of realizing that Minghao is back, he had wholly dismissed his nearly-forgotten friend. 

"Jun?" Mingyu gasps. It's still eerie that he's returned.

Jun throws his hands into his jacket and hunches his back. He waves back at him with his hand still in his pocket, "Hey, Mingyu!" Jun says a little too cheerfully. "And hey, little bro!"

Minghao shivers. "Don't call me that; spending seventeen months inside you was torture enough."

Jun strolls over to them with a large grin, "You don't mean that. I loved having you so close to my heart."

Minghao rolls his eyes. A laugh erupts from Jun, and he steps back to look at the group again in its entirety. 

"What are you doing here?" Minghao asks.

"Your leader said you were coming to see the psychic, so he could make sure everything was okay with us, right? I thought….that also included me."

Seungcheol, the one without any connection to the angel, responds, "It can, c'mon."

"Great!" Jun jumps over to the elevator and presses the up button.

As they wait for the lift to arrive, Mingyu observes Jun. He tries to be discreet about it, but Jun stares back at him with a smile and unblinking eyes. It's a little unnerving, especially since Jun still has the body of the nineteen-year-old he once knew.

"So... you're an angel?" Mingyu asks.

Jun nods as the elevator pings it's arrival. They all step inside, and Seungcheol hits the number on the keypad without looking. 

"It's just…" Mingyu tries again. "I'm happy you're back, but it's just bizarre." He turns to Minghao. "Did you know about this?"

Minghao shakes his head, "I thought all the Ophanim were dead. I was surprised to find myself inside one."

Jun grins, "No one knew I was back. I kept myself hidden."

"Why?" Mingyu questions as soon as the elevator doors open.

They all step out and walk down the hall to Jeonghan's apartment.

Jun shrugs as an answer. 

Before Seungcheol can reach for Jeonghan's door, it flies open, and Jeonghan is standing in the doorway. There's a sizeable fond smile stretching across his face. Mingyu lets go of Minghao's hand as Jeonghan launches himself at the angel. Minghao returns Jeonghan's hug tightly. 

Mingyu can't help but smile at the sight, but Jun steals his attention as he sees him freeze and then take a step back. Seungcheol notices, and their hunter instincts have them instinctually reaching for their gun tucked in their jeans' waistband. Several questions course through his mind. Is Jun a threat? Is there a threat around them? Is that not Jeonghan?

As the two break apart, another figure comes to stand and lean against the doorway. The figure smirks very cat-like, and his eyebrows draw together, "I knew I felt an Ophanim's power just a few hours ago."

"Joshua," Jun and Minghao speak in surprising unison.

Mingyu doesn't remove his hand from his gun. He's only ever encountered the Archangel a handful of times, and this angel has always unnerved him. He's never done any ill toward them, but he strikes him as unpredictable. 

Joshua's eyes turn to Minghao. "I knew something was off when you had died." He glances over at Jun again, "I'm guessing this is your doing."

Jun laughs awkwardly and dares to finger-gun the Archangel. Joshua sighs, pushes off the doorway, and heads inside the apartment.

Jeonghan smiles at all of them, "I'm happy you're back. Come inside. I was expecting all of you and went out to get some wine." He observes Jun's presence and addresses him, "I'm not sure if you like wine too, but you're welcome to try some."

Minghao perks up and follows Jeonghan without any resistance. Jun is quick on their tail. 

Seungcheol and Mingyu stand stupidly outside. Slowly, they let go of their guns and turn to each other.

"Are the two strongest angels in the universe inside Jeonghan's apartment?" Seungcheol stammers. 

Mingyu replies, "Looks like it."

"And Jeonghan willingly let them in?"

"Yeah."

Seungcheol releases a shaky breath and a loud whine. Mingyu can't blame him. He doesn't precisely know the nature of Seungcheol and Jeonghan's relationship, but he does know that the hunter loves him. It can't be easy loving Jeonghan when the psychic is always several steps ahead and the most unpredictable out of all of them.

"C'mon," Mingyu grips Seungcheol's arm. "Let's make sure none of them cause any trouble."

Jeonghan is bent over halfway inside his fridge, looking for wine, even though it's thirty past five in the morning. Jun has already made himself at home and is sitting on the kitchen counter doing his best not to look at Joshua. The Archangel isn't even paying regard to him; he seems far too entertained with his nearly empty bucket of KFC extra crispy chicken. And Minghao...Minghao has locked in a hug with a strange man with reddish-brown hair and a large smile that Mingyu hates to admit—shines like the sun.

"Minghao!" The strange-hugging man cries. He has Minghao lifted into the air and is shaking him. "It's so good to see you! All of heaven said you had died, and I absolutely believed every word of it! I mean...not heaven!" The man gasps and drops Minghao back to his feet. He stares at Jeonghan with wide-eyes and shrieks, "I don't know anything about heaven! Other than the bible! Praise Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior!" 

Jeonghan snorts, leaning over the kitchen counter with the wine bottle in his right hand. "Seokminnie, I know you're an angel."

Seokmin gasps again and then rushes over to Jeonghan. "You do?"

Jeonghan nods, "Not at first, if that makes you feel better."

Seokmin's mouth drops open in a pleased gasp. "It does! I'm not supposed to let the humans know I'm an angel."

"Wait a goddamn minute!" Seungcheol suddenly shouts. All the angels turn a glare in Seungcheol's direction as he takes their Father's name in vain. "Do we seriously have four angels in this cramped apartment?!"

And if the universe heard Seungcheol's indignant squawk, the sound of wings occurs a beat later. 

"Five," a voice suddenly speaks behind Mingyu.

Mingyu yelps loudly and nearly trips over his feet at the sudden appearance of their new companion. Minghao catches him around the shoulders before he falls to the ground. 

Mingyu looks down at the appearance of Jihoon. The small angel looks up and completely disregards him. Jihoon blinks, and Mingyu finds himself sitting on Jeonghan's sofa. As he gets his bearings together, he spots Jihoon reaching out and grasping Minghao's hands. 

"You're not dead," Jihoon gasps out. Mingyu swears he sees an uptick at the corner of his lips on the usually stoic angel. 

Minghao smiles down at his superior. "Not dead. Who else would carry out your missions?"

Jihoon snorts and then asks, "But how? We all thought—" Jihoon freezes as he spots Jun sitting on the kitchen counter. "So you have returned; it did work." Jihoon then looks past Jun, and smiles broadly enough for his cheeks to bunch up around his eyes, "Hi Jeonghan."

"Hi Jihoonie," Jeonghan returns.

"Jihoonie?!" Seungcheol shrieks. "How many angels do you know?!"

"Just them three," Jeonghan answers. He makes a face and walks around the counter to hand Minghao his wine bottle. Mingyu notes it's a cheap wine—but he knows that Minghao won't complain. Minghao has always said he likes the way the molecules of fermented grapes taste. 

"And you've never told me?" Seungcheol questions.

"You never asked."

"This doesn't need asking! How would this even come up in conversation?!"

"Easy. What do you know about angels? That would be a good question to segway into it."

Seungcheol makes some weird shouting sound, "Yoon Jeonghan! I—I've told you before to be careful with supernatural creatures."

Jeonghan goes to sit over at his small kitchen table across from Joshua. Mingyu stands up feeling slightly discombobulated but returns to his spot next to Minghao. He can see Joshua's bucket of KFC has somehow refilled itself. 

"They're completely harmless, Choi Seungcheol," Jeonghan redirects.

"You don't know that!" Seungcheol shouts again. "We've run into some angels that aren't on our side!"

Jeonghan gives him an unimpressed look, and before he can reply, Seokmin walks in between them, "Please don't fight. You're supposed to be soul mates."

The entire room goes silent and, at that moment, Minghao accidentally pops open his wine bottle. 

Jeonghan looks up at Seokmin, "We're what?"

Seokmin turns a bright shade of red and curls in on himself, "Oh! I wasn't supposed to say that."

Jeonghan stands, "We're what, Seokmin?"

Seokmin uncurls and looks apologetically at Jeonghan and repeats softly, "You two are soul mates."

"And how would you know that?"

"He's a Cupid," Joshua answers. The bucket of KFC is gone, and Joshua crosses one leg over the other to watch the scene. "He would know you two are soul mates. He matched you two when you were younger. All of us angels can see the identical mark on your souls." 

Jeonghan and Seungcheol are, for once, rendered speechless. 

Mingyu breaks the silence to ask, "Cupids are real? I thought they walked around with a bow and arrow and diapers."

Seokmin giggles, "They're not diapers; it's a loincloth! But if I take a vessel, I can't blend in with that. And I only use the bow and arrow in battle." 

Mingyu eyes the new angel skeptically. 

"He's one of the stronger ones in his garrison," Jihoon says and then snorts, "He's actually a higher rank than Minghao."

Minghao pulls a face but ends up nodding to confirm Mingyu's words.

"Really? A Cupid outranks you?" Mingyu asks.

Minghao shyly looks away, "I'm actually the lowest rank in this room."

Joshua smirks. He wipes his hands on a napkin and then explains to the hunters, "Our species is rank-based. Those at the very bottom are the Dominions. They are responsible for small miracles. Then next in line are the Principalities. You call them guardian angels," Joshua looks fondly over at Minghao. "Cherubs and Seraphims are next," he points to Seokmin and then Jihoon. "Archangels and the Ophanim are last." Joshua stands. He stares at Jun, "Which is why I am here. The Archangels knew you fell to earth to fulfill the prophecy, but then we all thought you never recovered your grace." 

"Death is a good friend," Jun explains. 

Joshua nods; he turns to Seungcheol, "I presume you brought Minghao and Junhui here to see if they are who they say they are?"

Seungcheol finally gathers his resolve and nods.

Joshua smiles, "They are not lying. You can rest assured." He directs his attention to Jun. "Junhui, we are the last of our kind. The strongest in all of heaven—"

"I don't want to rule heaven," Jun interrupts.

"But it would benefit with your help."

"Heaven has managed without our Father or me for many millennia."

Joshua stares him down for a moment, and Mingyu wonders if they are sizing up each other's grace. 

"Do you know where He is?"

Jun breaks eye contact and glances down at his lap. He shakes his head. 

A sigh leaves Joshua's lips. "As you wish then. I must return home." He speaks to Jeonghan. "I left you a new protection bracelet on the counter. I'll come by next week for some drinks?" 

Jeonghan nods, and Joshua disappears with a harsh beat of his wings. 

Jihoon looks around the room and then stops at Minghao, "It's good to have you back, brother. I'll keep in touch." Jihoon flies away next. 

There's still a heavy tension in the room at Seokmin's admission. Jeonghan and Seungcheol are now looking everywhere but at each other. Mingyu opens his mouth to say something, but Minghao grasps his hand.

Mingyu glances back, and Minghao shakes his head. 

"I apologize for the long drive, Seungcheol," Minghao speaks softly. "However, I don't believe this journey was as worthless as you think. Perhaps, you and Jeonghan should talk?"

Seungcheol meets Minghao's eyes and nods, "Take the car back home, will you?" He hands the keys to Mingyu. "I'll pray to you so you can come to pick me up?" Seungcheol hopefully asks.

Minghao smiles, "Of course." He tugs Mingyu's hands toward the door. "C'mon, Junhui. We don't have any business here."

Jun joins Mingyu and Minghao in the car. Mingyu can hear Jun make some declaration of wanting to experience cars as an angel instead of a human, so he sits in the center of the backseat. Mingyu starts to drive onto the street and glances over at Minghao in the passenger seat. The angel glances up with worry at the apartment. 

"They'll be fine," Mingyu tells him.

Minghao mutters some agreement.

It takes a total of ten minutes for Jun to start fidgeting in the backseat. Mingyu glances at him from the rearview mirror and nearly misses the red light as he spots a shine of white behind Jun. Minghao stops the car with his grace, and Mingyu breathlessly thanks him. He twists over in his seat and watches Jun. He doesn't see the color again.

The light turns green, and Mingyu steps on the accelerator. 

He can't help but keep looking at Jun, hoping to see whatever it was. Was it his wings? That's ridiculous. Minghao had told him that humans couldn't see them. It was probably a trick of the light.

"This is so boring!" Jun suddenly whines from the backseat. "What's taking so long?"

"I'm going the speed limit," Mingyu tells him.

"Hmph. Is this really how fast cars go? I don't remember them being so slow." 

Mingyu finally gets onto the highway, "If I remember, you didn't like car rides back when you were human either; you always fell asleep."

"Angels don't sleep, though. How do you handle this?" Jun leaves over to ask Minghao. "Why don't you just fly him back home?"

"Mingyu doesn't like flying."

"So you willingly ride in the car?"

Minghao snorts, "Yes, Junhui. I like the calmness and silence."

Jun whines again and throws himself petulantly against the backseat. Mingyu looks at him from the rearview mirror for a brief moment before looking at the road. He can't recall if Jun was this childish when he was human. He was definitely an oddball and liked to be a mother hen, and he had his occasional hyper outbursts like most college students, but this is a little strange for Mingyu to witness. It's as if the Jun he knew in college and the angel now sitting in his backseat are two completely different beings. 

He doesn't quite know what to say, so he's thankful that Jun suddenly announces, "I'll meet you there then."

Jun disappears from the back of the car, and Minghao snorts again.

"Soooo...you two are close."

Minghao turns to him, "Seventeen months inside someone does bring one closer."

"So was that your first time meeting him? Him just shoving you inside him?"

Minghao giggles, "No. That would have been...intimate. We had known each other before the war."

"You mean the one where Lucifer fell?"

"Yes. Junhui was one of the most formidable fighters in all of heaven. He protected us well. I always admired him because he never enjoyed fighting like our other brothers and sisters. He absolutely detested it, so when the war was over, and God asked him to go away with Him. I believe Junhui was relieved to be away from the fallout."

"So, he's always been like that?"

"You refer to the childish display in the backseat?"

Mingyu feels terrible for agreeing, "Yeah."

"That's...new. Before the war, he was very quiet. I'm assuming after his fall, he changed. It must be an interesting experience to live as an angel with all your human memories. There's so much that humans feel that angels cannot."

"I thought you could sense everything." Mingyu gulps and licks his lips nervously. Finally, he says, "Weren't you the one who said my voice carries the weight of cosmos?"

Minghao glances at him for a moment and then turns back to look straight ahead with a soft smile, "Yes, I did. I mean, humans feel, Angels don't."

Mingyu tightens his grip on the steering wheel. "You mean emotions?"

"Yes."

"So angels don't feel them at all?"

"We do. But they are very muted compared to humans. I wonder if Junhui is feeling more emotions than your typical angel because of his fall, and he is not quite sure what to do with them."

Mingyu nods at this new piece of information. Neither he or Minghao say anything after that. They drive in silence for hours. Mingyu keeps his grip on the steering wheel with his eyes locked on the road. There's so much he wants to ask Minghao now, but he's nervous. 

When an hour of driving turns to two, then three, and then four, Mingyu starts to lose his resolve. He occasionally glances at Minghao. The angel is sitting straight in the passenger seat. The passenger window is rolled down enough for Minghao to stick his fingers out the window. His eyes are shut as the wind hits his fingers. 

Mingyu wonders if Minghao is getting used to the sensation of being alive again. He lets him enjoy his meditative state and keeps driving. They're thirty minutes away from Vernon's home, and the highway is now almost empty as he nears the rural country. 

He turns to Minghao to let him know, but no words escape his lips. He's left dumbfounded because he swears he can see the outline of Minghao's wings. They're tucked neatly behind him, and the neon green feathers that don't quite fit phase through the car and seat. Mingyu blinks, and the wings are gone. He gasps out, and without realizing it, he pulls the car to the edge of the highway and stops the vehicle.

"Is something wrong?" Minghao questions with a worried tilt to his head.

Mingyu rubs his eyes and stares at Minghao. Maybe, he just saw things. That has to be it. He's tired and still in shock that Minghao is alive. 

Mingyu ends up nodding. He takes a few even breaths, and Minghao patiently waits. Restlessness rattles his bones, and Mingyu is forced to exit the car just to shake it off. He slams the car door and walks around to the car's passenger side to safely lean against it. 

Minghao wordlessly exits the car and softly shuts the car door. They both stand side by side. Minghao's eyes are to the dry tall grass in front of him. Mingyu's eyes are to the jagged line where concrete meets nature. 

After a few minutes, Mingyu looks back at Minghao. He sees them again. It's not as bright as before, but they are there. He can see one of them is stretched over Mingyu's head like he's shielding him from the sun. Mingyu snorts, and the image vanishes. He can't see the wings anymore. 

There's so much he wants to—no. He already lost Minghao once. He can't afford another repeat. 

He tucks his hands into the pockets of his jeans and looks at Minghao with determination. "Do you feel?" He asks, continuing their conversation from before. 

To Minghao's credit, he doesn't stumble, but he does look slightly surprised by the question. Minghao sighs, "I do. There are emotions I've felt before I met you. Respect for my Father, doubts when the war began. I admire Jihoon for becoming my superior, when my previous one joined the other side of the war. I feel affection for Joshua's patience and Seokmin's kindness."

"And when you met me?" Mingyu daringly asks.

Minghao doesn't directly answer his question, "God wasn't the one who told us angels don't have emotions. That came from the Ophanim and the Archangels. Sometimes I wonder if angels can feel as humans do, but we fear falling as Lucifer did." Minghao looks away from the grass and turns to Mingyu. His eyes are shining bright, "There was a time I was scared of falling as well—"

And Mingyu knows that Minghao has a beautiful way with words, and if Minghao could, he would draw this moment out until he was painting poetry into the wind. So Mingyu interrupts him with a sure grin, absolutely positive with Minghao's next words before he even says them. He's never felt as confident as this, "I love you."

Minghao's eyes open comically wide, and Mingyu watches in fascination as Minghao's eyes glance at the ground in embarrassment. 

Mingyu grins. He leans forward, unable to stop smiling. 

Minghao continues as if he hadn't been interrupted, "I was scared of falling, so I kept my affection to you a secret."

Mingyu's heart burns and swells, so he stands in front of Minghao and crowds him against the car, "I love you," he says it again. 

Minghao looks up at him, and Mingyu grins as he sees a flush appear on the angel's cheeks. He stops for a moment, presses his lips together, and fondly replies, "Still impatient, I see."

"I don't want to go another day without telling you how I feel."

This time, Minghao smiles. He reaches out and cups the back of Mingyu's neck with both his hands. The wings are appearing again in Mingyu's periphery. They wrap around him. He can't feel them, but he swears it's warmer. "I know now that I won't fall because I've already fallen for you, Kim Mingyu."

Minghao pulls him in for a kiss, and his wings glow brighter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be alternating from the gyuhao and wonhui storyline btw
> 
> Let me know what you think! Reviews always appreciated


	3. Chapter 3

Wonwoo is seeking to fade away. No, that's not it exactly—he's trying to keep himself from snapping at the seams holding together his sanity. Eleven years is a long time. 

Wonwoo can't remember all of it. Most of them are blurry memories of research while hunching over books and chugging cheap caffeine. When Jun had died, Wonwoo's life had crumbled. Life only had one purpose, and that was to find Jun's killer. The blue-eyed-demon, after years of obsessive investigation, had finally been located and killed. The pain hadn't gone away because a few months later, Mingyu had died too. 

The darkness densely inhabited his heart. He poured over books again to discover a means to bring Mingyu back. 

When Mingyu had returned, with an angel of all things, Wonwoo's life slowly started to stitch itself into place. He tore the heavy chain around his heart and tried his best to live. 

What seemed impossible at the start of becoming a hunter was fulfilled. Wonwoo had started to become—happy. 

He loves Mingyu and Seungcheol. He actually looks forward to going on hunts with them. Despite the looming possibility that this could always be their last time together, Wonwoo has fun. He likes working with them. His late-night study-buddy, Vernon, has become like another brother to him. Seungkwan became a breath of fresh air, and he realized that not all things that go bump in the night are bad. 

He had lost Jun but gained a family. 

So now, sitting here on the front porch of Vernon's home, a journal in his lap and a steaming coffee placed by his hip—Wonwoo is terrified. 

Jun's back.

What does that mean for him? Were all his efforts, all his suffering for nothing?

He sighs and stares past the roofs of scattered houses and to the sky. There's a golden hue amongst the morning clouds. In another lifetime, he can see himself stopping and snapping a picture of the scenery. 

He looks away from the charming view, takes a sip of his coffee, and returns to his journal. He opens it three-quarters from the front cover to a blank page. 

He's been doing his best to document every supernatural being they've encountered. There are entries on the rarest of wood nymphs to dragons and ghosts. He does his best to write a description of each and ways to kill them if necessary. 

At the top of the blank page, he writes Black Grimoire. 

He should probably wait for Seungkwan to help him, but Wonwoo needs something to do. One page to calm and keep the seams from snapping. 

Before he can get any words down, he hears a harsh flap of wings. Wonwoo glances up and sees Jun standing a few meters away from him. 

He gulps. Immediately, his brain supplies him with the image of Jun out of bed, showered, slipping back into his pajamas and fixing him breakfast. He can hear Jun and Mingyu's laughter filling the kitchen. Wonwoo should be standing at the doorway in an oversized hoodie, skewed glasses, watching the pair fondly. 

It doesn't even feel like a memory. Wonwoo is unsure if his brain is trying to soothe him with what once was or what could have been. 

Jun smiles stiffly. "You're awake?" Jun asks. 

He should be padding in bare feet, slipping his arms around Jun's waist and pressing a kiss to his temple. 

One more page. One more page. 

Wonwoo glances back at his notebook. Words don't come to him, and he doesn't want to awkwardly sit on the front porch, hanging his head in embarrassment. 

He inhales deeply and forces himself to look at Jun. He's the same beautiful nineteen-year-old he had fallen in love with in college. In another world, they might have spent their entire life settled in their careers with three cats. But this is the new world--there's no time for regrets. 

"I couldn't sleep," Wonwoo speaks. Jun stays where he is and doesn't move forward. "Where did you go?" Wonwoo asks. 

"Went to go see Jeonghan. The others are on their way back, and I got bored in the car. Everything is okay, by the way. I'm all me. Well, as me as I can be."

"I can see that." Wonwoo would even go as far as to say that Jun looks like he had been resurrected. God. It's so weird; he hasn't aged a day. 

"Sorry," Jun laughs, but the force of it is weak. "This must be weird."

Wonwoo recalls Mingyu telling him that sometimes Minghao would look at his soul to read his thoughts. He hopes Jun isn't doing that. 

Wonwoo chooses to clear-up the confusion. "You look as you did before you died."

"You look  _ old _ ."

Wonwoo is unable to help the snort. He closes his book and hunches over his bent knees. The warmth of them digging into his chest calm his racing heart. "I'm thirty. Not ancient."

"I'm the only ancient thing here."

Wonwoo smirks. "Angels don't age?" They haven't known Minghao enough to see any differences.

Jun smiles a little more sure of himself, "We can if we force our vessels to."

"So...you have a human vessel?"

"Not quite. I don't need to follow what other angels do. Ophanim are the only beings other than God who can create an empty vessel to contain our power. I can easily age myself to make you more comfortable."

Before Wonwoo can protest, he sees the muscle shift underneath Jun's skin. It's not a complete transformation, but there's no denying that Jun's skin and hair look a bit duller. A laugh pulls from Jun's throat, and Wonwoo can see lines around his eyes and mouth. He's even more handsome...

For a moment, everything pulls together seamlessly between them, but the reality that Jun can shift his appearance at will destroys it.

Wonwoo gasps and stands to his feet. The coffee is left forgotten, but the journal is tight around his hand. 

"Sorry!" Jun exclaims. He steps forward until he's beneath the small stairs. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Wonwoo shakes his head. "It's not that...Jun. I...I don't understand why you're here. You said you came to bring Minghao back, but if you're the most powerful angel in all of existence, couldn't you have dropped him off without showing yourself?"

Jun frowns and scuffs his shoe against the step, "You were always so perceptive..."

"So then why are you here?"

Jun looks up at him. "I needed to see you."

"Why?"

"I...I don't know."

Wonwoo nods stiffly and sniffs. He needs to get away from this conversation. "Okay, then I need to go back inside."

"Can I come in?"

"You don't need permission. I think Vernon dropped the wards by letting you in last night."

"I still remember it's polite to ask."

Temptation is a dangerous thing. It almost whispers to Wonwoo to say no, but...it's Jun. He nods and holds the door open for him. 

Jun smiles softly and steps inside. They walk together into the living room. Jun goes to sit on the couch while Wonwoo heads to the kitchen. He drops his journal on the kitchen table next to his laptop and goes to the stove to heat himself some water. Wonwoo hunches over the stove, trying to regain his breath when he remembers leaving his coffee outside. He silently curses and moves to retrieve it, but he notices the coffee is now magically by his journal. 

Wonwoo needs to have a conversation with Jun about reading his thoughts. He reaches for the mug and notices that it's steaming hot. He sighs loudly and goes to lean against the fridge out of eye-sight from Jun. He drops his head against it and hears heavy steps. 

He knows who it is without looking.

Vernon enters the kitchen, immediately heading to his cabinet of potion ingredients. 

"Hey man," Vernon greets, looking over him. "You okay?"

Wonwoo pushes away from the fridge and goes over to sit at the kitchen table to watch Vernon work. 

He makes sure to choose a seat with his back to the living room, so he doesn't have to see Jun. He can hear Seungkwan's voice, so he assumes the witch has engaged the angel in some conversation.

"What are you doing?" Wonwoo asks when he notices Vernon reach for his gold cauldron instead of his standard pewter one.

"Making an energy rejuvenating potion. Seungkwan said it's just like making a potion to cure a sore throat, except this one needs a gold pot."

Wonwoo stops and gets to ask, "How are  _ you _ feeling?"

"Tired," Vernon answers honestly. He shakes his bedhead as he neatly lines up the potion ingredients. "No pain, though. Seungkwan said last night it might be a month before our powers fully recharge. So potion making is kind of the only thing we're going to be useful for."

"Is that potion safe for humans?"

"Should be, but I think I might need to adjust the sprouting roots."

"Make Wonwoo's first and only add three leaves to serve him, then you can make ours!" Seungkwan calls from the living room.

Vernon nods and reaches for the sprouting roots in a small jar. He lays out three leaves so he won't forget. 

"You feeling tired too?" Vernon asks.

Wonwoo's eyes open wide, and he inconspicuously shifts his eyes to the side.

Vernon glances toward the living room, then back at him. "Sorry, I forgot."

Wonwoo snorts in disbelief. His phone vibrates in his pockets, and he goes to read the message from Seungcheol.

>>>The angels check out. Mingyu and the others are on their way back home.

Wonwoo frowns. <<<What about you?

He sees the three dots appear on his phone, but they disappear. A moment later, he gets a message.

>>> He's going to be running a few errands with me for a few days.😉

Below the message is a clear picture of Jeonghan and Seungcheol. The psychic has an arm thrown over a very flustered Seungcheol. 

Wonwoo types <<<Should I be concerned?

>>> I'm good. I already told Hao I'd pray to him to come to pick me up.

<<<👍

Wonwoo glances back at Vernon. The witch is stuck in some trance as he stirs the potion and adds ingredients. He returns to his phone, wondering when Mingyu will return. If he's alone with Minghao….they might take a few hours or even days. He doesn't blame them if they want to stay alone for a while.

Secretly, he wonders if Jun had appeared earlier, the two might have had a similar interaction. 

He needs to distract himself. He stretches his arm out for his laptop and begins to check small local newspapers if there is anything he can hunt on his own. After twenty minutes of scrolling through dead ends, Vernon hands him a mug.

Wonwoo examines the contents. "Why is it...hairy?" He fights the urge to gag.

He hears two pairs of footsteps and sees Seungkwan and Jun emerge in the kitchen. Seungkwan takes over for Vernon and starts to prep their potion. 

"It's supposed to be," Seungkwan laughs. "Drink up. It's a good dash of vitamins."

Wonwoo grimaces but brings the drink to his lips. The smell and taste are worse than it looks; it feels like drinking in a hairball. He coughs through the entire ordeal, but by the end, he feels a lot more awake. He also realizes he's hungry.

He stands to check the fridge. There's a pack of Seungcheol's favorite beer, a jar of Seungkwan's fermented hemlock, Vernon's...what the hell is that? He reaches for the mason jar and yelps as he turns the thing around and sees mushed worms seeped in what looks like...Cola? He drops the jar, and it almost shatters on the ground, but it floats into the air and falls gently onto the counter instead. His eyes immediately go to Vernon--his magic is depleted, though. So, then...

His gaze falls on Jun. Right.

"Hey!" Vernon cheers. He goes to the jar and spins it around with a smile. "It worked!"

Seungkwan motions him to come closer and check the jar for himself. "Holy hell! It did! We can start making that acid cloud potion! We just need lemon and dried cherry."

Wonwoo shuts the fridge, "Acid what?" He asks.

"Acid nothing," Seungkwan laughs. Seungkwan goes to grab two cups to pour for him and Vernon.

Wonwoo sighs at the two witches. He glares at Vernon, but his friend has clearly checked out. 

"Well, there's nothing in the fridge," Wonwoo states. "I'll make a grocery run. You said you needed lemon and dried cherries?"

"Yeah!" Seungkwan says after gagging through his own potion. "And some garlic."

"And hibiscus juice," Vernon inputs, checking back into the conversation at his convenience. 

"Oh, and some star anise and star fruits!"

Wonwoo pulls out his phone to type in the notes section, "Is this for a potion, or is this edible food?"

Neither of them answers him. "Okay, well, while I got get the actual food, make sure none of the hair from the potion gets in the sink. Mingyu will throw a fit if you clog the drain again."

Wonwoo moves to search for his keys, but he barely takes a step, and Jun disappears with a flap of his wings. 

"Uh?" Vernon trails off.

Wonwoo's eyes scrunch in confusion as well. "Okay...I guess...I'll just..."

The sound of wings beat again, and Jun arrives. 

Everyone takes a step back at the sudden appearance of food all over the kitchen table. And oh my God, Seungkwan is the first to squeal as a chicken flies off the table and heads straight toward the potion cauldron.

No one is fast enough to stop the chicken from landing inside the pot. It quickly starts to drink whatever remains, and they all yell. 

"Get it out!" Wonwoo screeches.

Vernon pulls the pot, and the chicken flies out. And now that's it's drunk the potion, a potion meant for witches, the poor thing is hyped up and flying around and squawking. It bangs against the cabinets, threatens to drop the fresh groceries, scratches, and pecks against their arms. 

Seriously. Wonwoo has faced the devil. The devil. And he can't handle a chicken. 

He sees it under the table and makes to grab for it, but Jun laughs and holds the chicken in both hands. He tucks the chicken against his chest, and the poor bird starts to peck harshly at Jun's chest. Jun doesn't feel it and strokes the feathers. 

"Sorry, I only meant to grab the eggs. My bad," Jun giggles. 

The three of them rise to their feet, gasping for air. Now that the chicken isn't terrorizing their kitchen, Wonwoo can see all the food Jun had brought. It's all completely fresh. There's the chicken nest with fresh eggs, a bucket of what looks like milk, freshly picked vegetables, and fruit, and way too fresh meat. 

"Ooooh," Seungkwan sings. "We can make kimchi!" He holds up the huge batches of lettuce on the table. There's still dirt on them, so Wonwoo wonders if Jun had picked the vegetable himself. 

Wonwoo meets Jun's eyes. The angel is hesitantly smiling. 

Wonwoo sighs and rubs his forehead with the back of his hand, "Thanks."

The gratitude appeases Jun, and he stands straighter. It's hard to take him seriously with the chicken still in his hands.

Wonwoo is still way too awake from the potion Vernon fed him, so the thought of making fresh kimchi isn't daunting. He sighs again and goes under the sink to search for the buckets and pans. Wonwoo grabs a few. "C'mon," he tells Seungkwan.

Seungkwan grins and starts to pile all the vegetables they'll need in his arms. Vernon goes to store the rest of the food. 

Wonwoo, Seungkwan, and Jun walk to the shed. Wonwoo drops the containers on the ground near the hose and, with Seungkwan's help, starting rinsing out the vegetables.

"Did you raid a farm?" Seunkgwan asks.

"Yes," Jun says, the chicken still in his arms. 

Wonwoo shrugs. They have a ton of fake credit card accounts. Raiding farms for a few veggies is the least of their priority. 

"We forgot the salt," Seungkwan says when all the vegetables are clean.

"I'll get it!" Jun declares. He throws the chicken into the air. It squawks loudly and immediately starts running all over their backyard. 

Jun appears a moment later with a giant tub of salt. 

Wonwoo reaches out to take it and mutters thanks as he starts to drop it into the water.

"Okay, so you passed out and started hearing voices; what next?" Seungkwan asks.

It takes Wonwoo a moment to realize that Jun is recounting to Seungkwan what had happened to him while he was human. 

"I thought the voices were in my head but it was just the Archangels getting excited."

Wonwoo nearly drops the salt. "What?"

"Yeah," Jun says. "It's angel radio. We can communicate with one another."

"And you didn't know it was angels?" Seungkwan continues, obviously fascinated. 

"No. I didn't have any memories of my angel life without my grace."

"So your grace is like a life force?"

"It's more like the equivalent of a human soul. Humans can still exist without one, but your souls are tied more to your emotions and sense of being. Ours is tied to our powers and memories."

"Interesting. You have to let me look at it some time. I have old books on angels, but I've never really been able to see if the information in there is real. There's this spell that claims you can see an angel's grace, but the conditions have to be exactly right."

Jun smiles, "I'll be happy to help." 

Wonwoo grunts as he drops the first head of lettuce into the saltwater. 

Seungkwan and Jun eye him carefully.

"Sorry," Wonwoo mumbles. 

"Okay," Seungkwan tries again. "So you were hearing the angel radio. What were they saying?"

Jun glances at Wonwoo. "They were talking about the prophecy. The Great Vessels were supposed to let Michael and Lucifer control them so they could battle and start the apocalypse."

"What makes Mingyu and Wonwoo so different from other vessels? Why them?"

Wonwoo sits still, now curious about the conversation. He had never known why he and Mingyu were chosen either.

Jun looks uncomfortable, and somewhere in the background, the chicken squawks again. "My Father never told us. He works in—"

"—mysterious ways," Wonwoo finishes, now feeling disheartened. 

His entire life has been played with: the prophecy, Lucifer, Jun, every little thing. His whole life has been a mess, and there are no answers for anything. 

He stands to his feet, "I have to go to the bathroom."

He rushes back inside, ignoring Vernon, and straight to the bathroom. He shuts and locks the door. There's nothing really wrong with Jun's words—they don't change anything. If God had played with his life—then Wonwoo, of all people, can't change that. He turns on the sink and splashes some cold water on his face.

He can't stay in here forever. The potion is still running through his system, itching for him to be moving or doing something. 

There's a knock on the door. 

He opens it without thinking. Jun stands on the other side, looking sheepish.

"Are you okay?" Jun asks. 

Wonwoo crosses his arms protectively in front of his chest, "Yeah."

"I'm sorry if that was not the answer you were looking for," Jun says. 

"It's fine," Wonwoo lies. 

Jun moves awkwardly from foot to foot. His mouth opens to say something, but Wonwoo interrupts quickly, "Let's help Seungkwan finish prepping the vegetables so we can make the kimchi tomorrow, okay?"

Jun nods rapidly. 

It's almost three in the morning when Mingyu comes back. Wonwoo is sitting on the couch with his laptop and playing a stupid game to pass the time and avoid falling asleep. 

He sees Mingyu enter the living room, one arm thrown over Minghao's shoulder. He smirks and raises an eyebrow at the pair. They both blush furiously and pull apart.

Wonwoo shuts his laptop and laughs. "Took your sweet time getting here," he comments.

"Lots of traffic," Minghao smoothly lies.

Wonwoo laughs again and looks at them. Mingyu seems so much lighter. "I'll take Seungcheol's room for the night. You two can have some privacy."

Mingyu blushes even more, "Hyung!"

"Thank you," Minghao declares, already pulling Mingyu toward his room. 

Wonwoo snorts and looks out the window as his brother and Minghao disappear down the hallway. 

Knowing that Mingyu is safely back home sets Wonwoo at ease. He gets up and goes to the kitchen to plug his laptop for the night. He then pads to Seungcheol's room.

The whole place is almost silent. Vernon and Seungkwan are sleeping in their room; he can hear Seungkwan's soft snores. There are murmurs of conversation from the room next door. The only person he doesn't know the location of is Jun. When they had finished preparing the vegetables, Wonwoo had made a quick breakfast for everyone, and Jun had disappeared. He reappeared some time around midnight on the rood of all places with the chicken in his lap. Wonwoo hasn't heard him since. He doesn't even know if Jun is still up there. 

He pushes off the covers of Seungcheol's bed and climbs in. 

Sleep overtakes him quickly.

Wonwoo has a paper due for one of his religious studies class. He needs to finish it today if he wants to visit Mingyu tomorrow. He's been craving some human interaction, and Wonwoo isn't brave enough to talk to the other students.

He makes his way through the library, looking for an empty desk to quietly work. Suddenly, he spots the most perfect table. It's the only table along the wall, separate from everyone else. 

Wonwoo drops his backpack onto the table and sits. A scream erupts from him as he accidentally kicks something hard under the table. He scrambles back to his feet and peeks under the table.

He sees Jun sitting cross-legged there and waving at him. Wonwoo laughs and crawls under the table to join him. They knock shoulders, and Wonwoo grabs for Jun's backpack in search of snacks. 

"Did you get off work early?" Wonwoo asks, finding some jelly snacks. 

He quickly uncaps the lid and sucks the snack into his mouth. 

"Yeah, I came to see you," Jun says softly.

Wonwoo does his best not to be loud as he giggles. "I'm going to visit Mingyu tomorrow. Do you want to come?"

"Sure! Mingyu owes me anyway."

"Why does Mingyu owe you?"

"He said I didn't dare to record myself dancing like a cowboy at work."

Wonwoo snorts, "He should know better." 

"That's what I said! So I'm going to have him buy me ice cream. I can't be stealing money from children."

"Of course not." Wonwoo smiles fondly. He crawls on his hands and knees to grab his backpack and pulls it under the desk with them. He searches for his textbook, but his hand comes out to grab a black leather journal. 

Wonwoo freezes. Why is his hunting journal in his backpack? Wait. Hunting? 

Wonwoo sighs and drops the journal in his lap, and he stares at Jun. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?

Jun stiffens. "What gave it away?" 

Wonwoo holds up his journal. 

Jun sighs next. "I thought it would be best to speak to you here."

Wonwoo holds his journal tight in his hands. "Wake me up."

Jun nods.

Wonwoo wakes with a startled gasp. He kicks off the sheets and sits upon the bed. Jun is standing over him. The room is dark, and Wonwoo can only make out the same jacket and jeans that Jun has been wearing since he came back. 

He wants to curse at Jun for invading his mind, but instead, a whispered hush of his name emerges. "Jun." He chokes out, "I can't."

"Can't what?"

Wonwoo looks off the side. He clutches the bedsheets. "Pretend that everything is okay. I'm going to be honest with you. I've moved on from your death...I didn't expect you to come back from the dead."

"I didn't actually die."

"I know that now, but..." Wonwoo licks his lips. He's not good with confrontations, but he needs to get this out for his own sanity. "If you are here because you expect me to be the same kid you met in college. I'm not. I've done so many questionable things since I lost you; I've killed, Jun."

Jun is silent for a moment, "So have I."

Wonwoo looks up at him, and they lock eyes. Jun is right. "Guess we aren't the same people?"

Jun sighs, and he shuffles awkwardly from foot to foot again. Wonwoo moves over on the bed and makes space for Jun. Jun's eyes widen in disbelief, and he doesn't move. Wonwoo pats the bed. Jun swiftly goes to sit down. 

They're both silent, staring at the floorboards. 

"Did you ever try to reach out to me?" Wonwoo asks. "When you recovered your grace?"

"I couldn't."

"Never?"

Jun hunches his shoulders and whispers in a low voice, "I made sure that Minghao was the one to lead the garrison."

Wonwoo gasps and turns to look at Jun. "Thank you."

"I wanted to reach out, but I was..." Jun thins his lips.

Wonwoo watches his expression. This, strangely enough, is familiar. Jun wasn't very open with his emotions either when he was human. He was very cheery and happy. But if he was having a bad day, Jun always wanted to solve it on his own. Wonwoo knew it was his sense of pride, and it was one of the few things that Wonwoo had to force himself to like. He didn't like Jun keeping secrets from him. However, knowing that Jun is hiding these feelings, even as an angel, tells Wonwoo a lot more about Jun than he could have imagined. Jun isn't scared to tell him...he's scared of feeling. 

Wonwoo pulls back from his own emotions for the moment. "Do you remember everything when we were together?"

Jun nods. "Like it was yesterday...do you?"

Wonwoo ends up shaking his head. "It's been a long time; memory is not as fresh."

Jun finally looks at him. "Did you ever get with anyone else?"

"I thought the angels could see everything."

"I wasn't always watching."

Wonwoo looks away and awkwardly scratches at his nose. "There were times, other hunters, I could have gone with, but I never did."

"Why not?"

Wonwoo shrugs, "I'm not one to take risks like that."

"You did with me," Jun says softly. "You confessed first."

Wonwoo is silent as he tries to pull back the memory. Vaguely, he remembers kissing Jun under a street lamp. "I guess I did." There's a lot more Wonwoo wants to say, but he doesn't have the courage or the right mind to dissect all of it and put it into words. 

"Can you read minds?" Wonwoo ends up asking.

"No."

"Oh. I thought...Mingyu had said that Minghao sometimes does."

"Ah," Jun laughs softly. "It's more like looking at your soul and listening to what it has to say. Not quite like being in your thoughts."

Wonwoo takes one more risk. "Read my soul, then."

"What?"

"You heard me."

Jun shifts more on the bed and angles his body to him. He reaches out and places his hand on top of Wonwoo's. Jun's eyes are searching. Wonwoo wants to look away, but he finds he can't. He's trapped in Jun's brown eyes. 

After several moments, Jun pulls back and asks, "You want to be friends?"

Is that what Wonwoo's soul wants? Wonwoo thinks for a moment. The idea sounds nice...no pressure. He nods. "Friends as who we are  _ now _ ," Wonwoo clarifies for him.

Jun smiles, and Wonwoo finds his heart stuttering as Jun replies, "I'd like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had this entire story finished but somehow the file got corrupted and I couldn't get it back. I just spent the entire day rewriting this chapter. I have to rewrite the others. I'm upset but also take it as a sign that maybe it was meant to happen. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this Wonhui chapter. What should we name the chicken?
> 
> Comments always appreciated!


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